Of Fire And Ice
by Maidenstear
Summary: You, you cildren of fire and ice.  Mikan and Natsume


Aneko: So I can't help it. Mikan and Natsume are just so dang cute together that I just had to write a fanfiction for the two of them. Please enjoy. It may be a little rough around the edges. And I'm warning you right now, I was trying to center the poems, but fanfiction just wouldn't let me, and I'm getting really frustrated with trying, so I'm just going to bold them instead.

Dedicated to the broken fire child. ( I love you Nat-chan!) XI

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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* * *

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I am the Fire, You are the Ice

Sakura Mikan heaved the box in her hands onto the table, wiping her forehead proudly.

"Phaw, that was heavy!" She declared, smiling.

"Hey, good job, shortie," Tsubasa said as he passed by with another box in his arms, ruffling her hair. "That box is pretty heavy."

"Aren't I strong?" Mikan beamed, basking in the warm glow of his praise.

Tsubasa chuckled. "Sure."

"Not really," Hotaru said from the side. "I mean, that kid is carrying ten boxes." She pointed to one of the boys in the classroom who had the alice of strength. He was balancing the ten boxes in a mini pyramid.

"Waaaah! Hotaru, why are you so mean?" Mikan wailed.

"I'm not mean. It's just the truth."

Tsubasa laughed good-naturedly as Mikan cried on him. Hotaru, meanwhile, shuffled off elsewhere, happily carefree.

They were cleaning out the class B classroom. Narumi-sensei had allowed the elementary school children to have a small party, a spontaneous affair (rather like their teacher himself), and now came the tedious task of cleaning up after. It wasn't fun, but it needed to be done. Luckily, Tsubasa had been in the area—skipping like usual—and had been coerced into joining the cleanup effort.

"By the way, where's Natsume?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

Mikan perked up at the mention of the fire Alice. She hadn't seen him in several days and was beginning to wonder herself where he had gone.

"Who knows?" Hotaru said nonchalantly. "Why not ask him?" She pointed at Ruka.

"Ah! That's right!" Mikan turned. "Do you know where Natsume went, Ruka-pyon?"

Ruka looked at the ground. "No, I don't…"

Hmm…" Mikan frowned.

Tsubasa looked at the two children's downcast faces. "Don't worry too much, you two," he advised. "If it's that kid, I'm sure he's fine."

"Well…okay…"Mikan said, unconvinced.

"Mikan! Could you come here? We could use another hand with the sweeping!"

Ever energetic, Mikan jumped up when she heard her name. "Sure!"

* * *

"That's your mission, Natsume. Understand?"

"Yeah," Natsume mumbled, his fiery eyes on the ground.

In the distance, there was a sudden crash and a shout. Natsume's eyes flickered to his classroom window. Mikan, who had been carrying a rather large box, had tripped and fallen. The contents of the box were scattered all over the floor. He couldn't hear it, but he saw the grin on her face and knew she was laughing it off like the silly person she was.

"Pay attention, Natsume," Persona commanded quietly.

Natsume's eyes snapped back to his dark superior.

"What's wrong? Missing your friends?" A brief sneer flashed across the man's face. "Don't get complacent. A person like you isn't allowed such luxuries."

Natsume bit his lip so hard he thought he would draw blood, and his knuckles were white from trying to keep himself from using his Alice on this freak.

"Isn't that right?" Persona prodded.

"Yes…" Natsume growled.

* * *

Mikan breathed into her hands, trying to get warmth into them. "I really should have brought a pair of gloves…" She mumbled, flexing the pink-colored digits.

Oh, Sakura…"

Mikan looked up and saw Ruka approaching from the opposite direction. "Oh, hey, Ruka-pyon!" She said, smiling. "What's up? Hey, you look worried…is something wrong?"

"Well…" Ruka shifted from one foot to the other. "Natsume's still not back yet…"

Mikan frowned. "What? Really? But it's been a week since we cleaned out the classroom…"

"Actually, Sakura…I do know where he went…"

"You do? Where?"

Ruka hugged his rabbit closer to him. "He got sent on another mission for the dangerous abilities class. I just…" He looked down at the ground. "I'm afraid he's pushing himself too hard. What if he ends up in the hospital again?"

"Don't worry, Ruka-pyon," Mikan said, grabbing his hand. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's Natsume, after all." Secretly, she was worried as well, but she kept the smile on her face. The thing Ruka-pyon needed to see was her confidence. It wouldn't do to let him get more worried.

Ruka gave her a half-hearted smile. "Yeah…"

They said goodbye, and Ruka walked off. As soon as he was out of sight, Mikan sighed and looked into the sky, which was covered in gray clouds—it was probably going to snow soon.

_I'm sure he'll be fine…He is Natsume…_

_

* * *

_

He is Natsume…

Natsume's breath came out in quiet gasps, appearing before him in white puffs. He tried not to breathe too loudly, but his chest ached, and it felt like he couldn't get enough air. It didn't help that it was starting to snow. He looked up at the daunting academy fence before him. Persona had ordered him to never come back in using the gate. Doing so would be a prime opportunity for enemies of the academy to sneak in undetected.

Personally, Natsume thought Persona was just being a jerk.

Natsume sighed in frustration. His hands were slippery with drying blood (not all of it his own), and he really didn't want to climb the fence in the state he was in. If it had been an earlier time, he would have tried to get in contact with Ruka and have his big bird bring him over, but it was past midnight as it was. Everyone was already long since asleep. There was no help for it.

He jumped into a tree to get the first boost up. It was slow going, but eventually he made it to the top and slithered down the other side. By this point, his head was starting to throb. Getting up slowly, Natsume started to stagger down the lane.

Now all he had to do was get back to his room.

Mikan sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She didn't know what had woken her, and her room was still filled with the dark of night, so it was probably pretty late. She glanced out her window, and her eyes widened in delight.

"Snow!" She ran to the window to look out, her fingers splayed against the glass. Everything was decorated in a pure white, unbroken blanket. It made the world look soft and gentle.

Out in the softly falling flakes, a dark speck appeared.

Mikan blinked. "Huh?" She squinted, trying to make out what it was. It looked almost like…

"Natsume!"

_

* * *

_

**_You are the Fire_**

**_The crimson blue flame,_**

**_Ephemeral in your burning_**

**_You are the Fire,_**

**_The burning bright flame,_**

**_Eternal in your memory._**

Natsume blinked sleepily. This wasn't good. He was worn-out, hurt, and it was extremely cold. If he passed out while he was still outside, no one would find him until the next morning. By then he'd probably be dead.

Natsume leaned back against a tree, just trying to breathe. He measured his breaths carefully: three seconds, inhale, three seconds, exhale. It helped clear his mind up a little bit. The snow was starting to leave dots of wetness on his clothes, and wreathe his hair in white flakes.

He was just about to close his eyes when he heard a soft footstep in the powdery snow.

"N-Natsume!"

His eyes darted up to see the girl trotting towards him over the winter landscape.

**_You are the Ice,_**

**_The freezing cold heat,_**

**_Quenching the burning pain._**

**_You are the Ice,_**

**_The paralyzing frost,_**

**_Snuffing out the flame._**

By the time she reached the crimson-eyed boy, Mikan was slightly out of breath. She was wearing a gigantic fluffy coat to protect her from the cold, but he could see her striped pajama pants beneath it. Natsume simply looked at her for a moment.

"What are you doing out here, you moron?" He asked, looking away. "It's the middle of the night."

"The same goes to you," Mikan retorted, frowning.

"It's not like I'll get sick. Only stupid people catch colds."

She opened her mouth to snap at him, but she shut it abruptly when she noticed a thin, steady trickle of blood making its way down one of his arms and staining the innocent snow red.

"Natsume, you're hurt…"

Natsume couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Really? I hadn't noticed. That _does_ sometimes happen."

Mikan frowned. _Why is he always so difficult?_

"Stop looking at me like that," Natsume said with a frown of his own. "It's no big deal."

"It is too a big deal!" Mikan said, grabbing his arm.

Against his will, Natsume flinched at the contact. It burned like crazy, and he held back a hiss of pain. Mikan pulled out a handkerchief and began daubing gently at the wound.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to help you."

Natsume removed his arm from her grasp. "I don't need any help. Don't try and force your kindness on me."

"I'm not trying to force it! I really just want to help you!" The girl's dark eyes were earnest in their concern.

But Natsume really didn't want anyone's concern right now. Concern was a dangerous thing. It made one fall into the lull of comfort and safety. For a black cat like him, there could be no such things. Especially from her. From her, it was most dangerous of all.

"Go inside," Natsume commanded. "I don't want you to get sick and pass your germs on to me."

"You said only stupid people catch colds."

"Just go. I don't want to see anyone right now," Natsume hissed.

Mikan watched him for a moment longer, and sighed, shuffling past Natsume. He stayed where he was, and then closed his eyes.

"What are you doing, idiot?" He mumbled.

"You said you didn't want to see anyone," Mikan said. "So I'll stay over here. Then you can't see me." She was leaning against the opposite side of the tree.

Natsume sighed in annoyance. "Stupid."

"Yeah."

"Idiot."

"Yeah."

"Moron."

"Yeah."

"You won't go in no matter what, will you?"

"No."

"Don't blame me if you get sick."

"I won't get sick!"

Natsume gave a snort of disbelief.

They fell silent and watched the snow falling. The world was still and small, just large enough to hold the two of them. In the darkness and quiet, it felt secluded from the rest of the academy life.

Natsume was deep in his thoughts when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Now what do you want?" He asked in irritation.

"Natsume…"

"Are you crying?"

"N-no…" Mikan said, but he heard her sniffs.

"If you're going to cry, at least shut up about it. What could you possibly have to cry about anyway? You came out here barging into _my_ business."

"B-because…!" Mikan sniffed. "Natsume, you're always doing this! Always pushing people off and trying to fight by yourself! It's like even if there are people who you care about, we can't do anything for you because you push us away. Just once, would it hurt to depend on us? Ruka-Permy—I'm sure even Hotaru feels this way! It's just not fair…"

"…You said 'we,' polka dots…"

On the other side of the tree, Mikan flushed furiously. "Yeah, so? I care…too…" Her voice got a little quiet at the end. "I just don't want to watch you be all by yourself."

"A person like me…" Natsume closed his eyes again as he remembered. "A person like me isn't allowed such luxuries." The words tasted as dry as ash and as bitter as salt water.

"That's not true, and you know it!" Mikan's tears continued to fall. Reaching behind her blindly, she grabbed Natsume's hands.

"Let go."

"No."

"Let go or I'll burn you."

It was an empty threat, for more than one reason.

And besides, Natsume had already laced his fingers with hers.

They made an odd, melancholy picture, two children standing there with their backs to the tree, their hands the only contact of skin.

Mikan could feel her hands getting sticky from Natsume's blood, and she unconsciously gripped tighter.

"Natsume…"

"What?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"That's not your business."

"Come on, tell me!"

"Shut up, moron."

"…Please?"

The crease between Natsume's eyebrows deepened again, and he gave in, just because he knew she wouldn't give him any peace if he ignored her.

"…I was thinking about how soon I'm going to die."

Mikan's heart jumped erratically. She still forgot, sometimes, about Natsume's alice, and how it was slowly eating his life away. How long before he would break? How long before he was lost to the quiet breaking that no one could hear?

"You shouldn't think about sad things like that."

"Sad? Who'd be sad?"

"I would!" Mikan couldn't help but run around the tree to see Natsume's face. She searched his eyes. "We all would!"

Natsume looked into her wide brown eyes and felt a tremor of emotion.

"_Don't get complacent."_

Persona's words circled around and around in his head, making him feel sick, to the point the he couldn't think straight. Natsume shook his head vehemently. Doing so, however, made his head ache, and he took a seat on the ground, even though the snow would start soaking through his clothes any minute now.

"Natsume?" Mikan sat on her knees beside him.

"You…" Natsume panted.

"Eh?"

"If you're going to say things like that, you better take responsibility."

"Take responsibility? What do you mea—ah!" Mikan let out an exclamation of surprise as Natsume's head fell onto her knees.

He looked up at her with his intense eyes. "What? You got a problem?"

"N-no. Not at all."

Mikan's hair fell in a curtain around her face—she had forgotten to put it up in her haste to get outside. She looked down at the boy whose head rested in her lap.

Natsume closed his eyes and looked, for all purposes, asleep. Mikan kept her eyes trained on his defenseless face. Even in sleep, a frown hovered over his brow.

"Could you stop staring at me?" He suddenly mumbled. "It's creepy." When she didn't answer, he cracked one eye open. "You're crying again…"

Indeed, Mikan's face was scrunched up, her tears running down her nose as she leaned over him. One landed on his face.

"Stop crying. It makes you even uglier."

"I can't help it," she whispered. "Natsume, you never cry, so I have to cry for you."

"Who would believe something stupid like that?" He reached up with one hand and wiped the tears away.

Mikan closed her eyes to his touch. His hand was hot against her cold cheek.

"Stop crying," he whispered. Mikan nodded.

**_You are the Fire,_**

**_The hot destruction,_**

**_ravaging what lies before you._**

**_You are the Fire,_**

**_The burning destruction,_**

**_Reducing the world to ashes._**

He was starting to really feel the cold, his teeth chattering and his eyes sliding closed, but still, he heard a sweet voice.

"Come on Natsume, we need to get inside. Can you stand?"

**_You are the Ice,_**

**_The chilling touch,_**

**_Healing all in your path._**

**_You are the Ice,_**

**_The frozen touch,_**

**_Taking the heat from the ashes._**

He didn't remember getting up, or going back to his room. But he did remember lying down, someone drawing covers over him so that he stopped shivering. After that he slept.

* * *

What woke him in the morning was the sunlight shining in full glory through his window, since he had forgotten to shut the drapes. For a few minutes he tried to ignore it, but then he opened his eyes and looked outside. Snow covered the grounds in a glorious white landscape. It was so bright that it was almost unbearable to look at. Natsume sat up, and then noticed that he couldn't move his hand. He looked down.

Mikan was on the floor beside his bed. Her head was on the bed, resting on her crossed arms, her eyes closed in a fitful sleep. One hand was latched on to Natsume's, even in unconsciousness. He very slowly removed his hand from her grip.

"Stupid," he murmured. "You're going to catch a cold, just like I told you." He got out of bed, taking a blanket and wrapping her in it.

Mikan's eyes fluttered open at the sound of a door slamming.

"Mm?" She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing sleep from her eyes. Something fell off her shoulders. She looked down and saw a blanket. She smiled. Natsume wasn't in the room, but she knew he was the one who had put it over her. She stood up, carefully folding the blanket and placing it on his bed.

She ran to the door and flung it open, a bright smile on her face.

"Natsume!"

**_You__—_**

**_You children of Fire and Ice,_**

**_So eternal and fleeting,_**

**_Dancing around broken pieces._**

**_You—_**

**_You children of Fire and Ice,_**

**_So painfully brilliant,_**

**_Wiping tears from bright eyes._**

**_Now stir from your ashes and rise up._**

* * *

**Aneko**: So…yeah. I hope you liked it.. I beg of you, please review. It's not very encouraging when people don't comment but only favorite. If you decide to favorite it, I'd love to know why. Then I'll know what to do right in the future.

Ja ne~!


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